The sunny sky and 25+ degree weather on Saturday was the right kind of omen, for the debut of an event where the organisers were really going out on a limb. Música is a brand with a history that stretches back nearly a decade in Sydney, laying down its roots with a series of club nights specialising in progressive and underground house. After several years in hibernation, the brand returned last year with several critically-acclaimed parties at The Forum, featuring the likes of Hernan Cattaneo and Apparat that were consciously pitched towards an older crowd; and then earlier this year, it was announced Música would be launching its new chapter with a boutique outdoor event.

The venue was the gorgeous inner-city setting of Tumbalong Park, smack in the middle of Darling Harbour in a space that’d never been used before, with the musical focus shifted from straight club music into a cutting-edge selection of leftfield live acts. “With an accent on yoú” was the brand’s motto, and the aim was to cater to a discerning audience with an intimate event that’d steer clear of the overblown silliness we’ve grown used to with big Australian festivals. The Música ethos was one that always treated its patrons with respect, rather than grabbing greedily for their wallets. However, Sydney’s support for underground music has been wanting at times; would the punters show up?

Arriving just after 4pm, the answer to this question thankfully was ‘yes’, with a small but comfortable crowd of people gathered inside the circular festival walls that had been erected around Tumbalong Park, with the numbers swelling nicely as the day went on. And oh, what a beautiful space it was; a green oasis right in the middle of a concrete jungle, the backdrop to the stage was Sydney’s CBD skyscrapers, and it felt much like a miniature version of The Domain. In contrast to the parties held at that venue though, the scale was a lot more intimate, with only one stage to focus on, and only a minute’s walk from one end of the grounds to the other.

It really does make a difference being able to grasp the scale of the festival simply by turning your head; to the left of the stage was the bar, to the right the portaloos, up the back the VIP area and restaurants, as well as plenty of open grass to sit chill at. In fact, this was the relaxed option being taken up by most people at this early stage of the day, as the music was trickling out from the stage at the perfect volume. Clear, bass-heavy and loud, but not to the point where it distorted the detail or drowned out conversation.

Simon Caldwell was the support DJ throughout the day, and upon entry he was laying down some relaxed house and techno in his typical inimitable style – he’s a Sydney stalwart if ever there was one, as well as a consummate professional, so it’s clear why was chosen to help build a foundation for the international acts to work with throughout the day. The live act to follow was acclaimed New Zealand soul outfit Electric Wire Hustle, who continued the relaxed vibes along with some extremely tight musicianship, playing to a modest crowd gathering down the front. Honestly though, their subdued charm worked just as well for everyone chilling up the back on the grass, offering a nice tempered energy for that point of the day.

Next up was Italian nu-disco duo Tiger & Woods, who again kept the energy at an appropriately restrained level. The overwhelming impression at this point was being reminded of the spectacular All Tomorrow’s Parties event that was held as a once-off at Cockatoo Island several years ago. Though it was a completely different event to Música, what they both had in common was a serene and unusual choice of venue, that ‘fresh’ feeling you get from a brand new party, plus a more underground line-up of mostly first-time visitors that perfectly matched the open mind of the crowd, who were more than willing to go along for the ride.

As chilled out as things were, there was a bristling energy that was building beautifully throughout the afternoon, largely due to the considered approach to the musical programming, and Ghostpoet’s entry at 7pm as the sun was setting marked the point where things stepped up a little. Nominated for the coveted Mercury Prize this year and enjoying the full backing of Gilles Peterson, the UK vocalist/producer proved quickly that the sublime sounds from his Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam album transitioned perfectly to the live stage. Backed up by another cast of accomplished musicians, his tight vocal delivery was complimented by a truly affable stage presence, his warm interaction with the crowd meaning everyone was drawn in, clicking perfectly with the already established intimate nature of the gathering.

Montreal rapper and producer Lunice was the first to really red-line the energy levels though, dragging us into the business end of the party as darkness descended, and busting out his noisy, glitchy, crunked-up hip hop through his mixers and effects pads, pounding out some of the more cutting-edge sounds that hip hop has to offer. Encapsulated by the heavy booty-bass of DJ Drama’s Ballin, or the surprise inclusion of Kanye & Jay-Z’s thundering Niggas In Paris, and its unforgettable screeching, feedback-drenched drop, Lunice had the swagger and stage presence to match the heaviness of the filthy beats that were giving the bottom-end of the excellent sound system a proper workout. Future hip hop excellence.

But if the energy was nice and high by this point, it was launched into the stratosphere when the enigmatic SBTRKT donned his trademark ceremonial mask and stepped up to his controllers. He was the drawcard for Música, and one of the most talked about electronic acts of 2011, but it’s safe to say that nobody was prepared for how jaw-droppingly mesmerising this final hour would be. Anyone who’d given his amazing self-titled SBTRKT album a proper workout might have wondered how these sublimely chilled beats would transition to the peak-time of a festival, but this was immediately forgotten as the crowd fell under his thrall, with an electric vibe simmering through the crowd that was just too good; this kind of atmosphere is all too rare, and is definitely something to be treasured.

There really was the feeling that this was the sound of ‘now’; cutting-edge ‘post dubstep’ bass music that sounded like nothing we’d heard before, defined just as much by its melody and soulful emotion as it was the broken beats and heavy basslines. The peak of the set came with Right Thing To Do, the power of Jessie Ware’s gorgeous vocals meshing with the deep sub-bass rumbles that were rippling through the ground, nearly causing me to drop my drink, slack-jawed while I was returning from the bar.

Winding towards the end with the euphoric emotion of Ready Set Loop, before closing down the party for good with a teasing half-play of his Modeselektor Art and Cash remix, there was the feeling we’d witnessed one of those seminal festival moments. The moment in time had been perfectly captured – much like something as grand as the six-deck ‘Fingerlickin’ Massive’ that closed the very first Field Day in 2002. For an event that started off ‘great’, it was finished off as ‘amazing’, and there’s little doubt everyone present would have left to tell their friends what a special and unique day it ended up being. Expect even bigger crowds when Música returns to Tumbalong Park in 2012.